Month: April 2023

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The State of Blockchain Development

The distributed transaction ledgers and smart contracts that comprise blockchain technologies have applications in a wide range of industries, particularly in finance, logistics, and government. Today, we present an overview of who is involved in blockchain development and which blockchain platforms they use. Earlier on, we discussed the state of blockchain development in detail in our webinar and you can find a link to watch it below.

Engagement with blockchain technologies

Of the three blockchain technologies we track in our survey, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) garner the least attention from developers – 58% of them show no interest, likely due to its perception as a novelty technology. On the other hand, cryptocurrencies are most salient to developers – 27% are either learning about or currently working on such projects, and non-cryptocurrency blockchain technologies are very close behind, with 25% of developers similarly involved. We discussed this topic in detail in our webinar on the state of Blockchain Development. 

We will focus solely on blockchain applications other than cryptocurrencies, as these technologies have the widest range of use cases and thus the most potential to shape our world. We’ll begin by looking at developers’ engagement with blockchain technologies from a regional standpoint and then through the lens of experience in software development. Finally, we’ll give an overview of which blockchain platforms are being used.

blockchain platforms being used

A regional view of Engagement with blockchain applications

Engagement with blockchain applications other than cryptocurrencies, referred to as blockchain applications from here on, varies greatly depending on where developers are located. North America and East Asia excluding Greater China are hotbeds of blockchain development – 15% and 12% of developers in these regions, respectively, are currently working on blockchain applications, with another 17% learning about the technology in both regions. 

“North America and East Asia are hotbeds of blockchain development”

Further down the list, we see that while the Middle East & Africa has a smaller proportion of developers actively working on blockchain projects; it has the highest incidence of those learning about them (20%). This suggests that the Middle East & Africa could well become important for blockchain development in the future. Indeed, given the region’s history of rapid adoption of new foundational technologies – exemplified by Africa’s mobile banking revolution – blockchain applications in finance and banking are particularly exciting here – though the data suggests that there may still be some way to go. 

“Finance and banking professionals in the Middle East and Africa are more interested in blockchain technologies than finance and banking professionals in other regions”

About a quarter of professional developers in the Middle East & Africa who are interested in blockchain technologies are also working in the finance and banking sector. It seems these developers have seen the potential for this technology to shape and disrupt the sector and are getting a head start. Looking at this from the other side, we see that the proportion of finance and banking professionals who are currently working on or learning about blockchain applications is broadly in line with the average for the region (31% vs 33%). However, the proportion who are interested in blockchain applications is 29% higher (37% vs 29%). This is the highest incidence of interest in blockchain applications amongst finance and banking professionals across any region and indicates that blockchain applications could play a pivotal role in this industry in the future.

blockchain projects per region

How does experience affect engagement with blockchain applications?

Developers with 6-10 years of experience are the most likely to work on blockchain projects. It’s likely that these developers have reached the point in their career where their technical skills are sufficiently advanced to enable them to work on such demanding projects. On the other hand, we see that the least and most experienced developers are the most likely to be disinterested in such projects. Those with less than a year under their belts have yet to build their knowledge, while the most experienced developers may be looking to maintain some stability in their career and are reluctant to change tack.

“Many of the least experienced developers are actively learning about blockchain technologies. They constitute a strong pipeline of future contributors”

Developers with 11-15 years under their belts show the most passive interest in blockchain applications – whilst they aren’t learning about or working on such projects, 32% are interested in some way. These developers are at the zenith of their careers and whilst they are some of the least likely to be learning about the technology, they are also some of the most likely to be currently working on it. These developers are likely keeping a close eye on developments in the space – should they spot an opportunity, they will be able to pivot their considerable experience to become effective contributors to the space.

How does experience affect engagement with blockchain applications

Interestingly, although we see that the least experienced developers are less likely than their counterparts with 1-15 years of experience to be currently working on blockchain applications, they are only slightly less likely to be learning about these projects. This demonstrates that although they lack the skills to be active contributors, the myriad applications and potential of blockchain applications are a powerful draw. We can expect that, as learning materials improve and the barriers to entry reduce – as is the case with many technologies – over the next few years, developers will be able to get involved in blockchain projects much earlier in their careers.

Which blockchain platforms are most popular?

Looking at the specific blockchain platforms that developers report using, we see that Ethereum is clearly dominant amongst learners and those actively developing alike. It’s also unique amongst the blockchain technologies that we ask about, in that it is the only one which is more popular amongst those learning about the technology than those who are currently working on it. This indicates that Ethereum’s ecosystem is in good shape – not only is it large, but it also has a healthy pipeline of new contributors. 

Although new contributors are certainly good news – the utility of a blockchain rises with the number of applications that use it – a large influx can also create problems. For example, too many transactions on a network can slow things down severely and greatly increase the price of a transaction. For example, when CryptoKitties surged in popularity, the cost of a transaction on the Ethereum network increased ninefold, from ~$50 to over $450. Such is the price of success. This said, Ethereum’s recent transition to a proof-of-stake model is expected to reduce energy consumption by 99.95% and makes the platform more scalable, secure, and sustainable, potentially mitigating this pitfall.

“The Binance blockchain platform benefits from its association with the Binance crypto exchange and its interoperability with the Ethereum blockchain”

Further down the list, Binance Smart Chain is the second most widely used blockchain platform and is used significantly more by active developers than learners. Here, the Binance Smart Chain not only benefits from its association with the Binance cryptocurrency trading platform, but also its interoperability with the Ethereum blockchain. We also see a similar story with the IBM Blockchain platform – this platform is based on open-source blockchain technology managed by the Linux foundation and clearly benefits from the backing of these two large organisations and their developer and business communities.

most popular blockchain platforms

Despite the hype, blockchain technologies are still somewhat in their infancy. Blockchain, much like cloud computing fifteen or so years ago, has the potential to underpin and enable many other technologies and experiences, but as we saw earlier, only 9% of developers are currently working on such projects. Rather than affecting an instant technological transformation, blockchain technologies have the opportunity to become a foundational technology on which our digital experience sits, much like TCP-IP – the building blocks of the internet – and developers will be key players in shaping this particular view of the future.

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Why Learning to Code Is the Ultimate Skill for Future-Proofing Your Career

Future-Proofing Your Career

As technology continues to shape the world we live in, it’s becoming increasingly clear that learning to code is one of the ultimate skills for future-proofing your career. With the demand for technology skills rapidly growing across all industries, the ability to code is no longer just a valuable asset but an essential one. 

Coding is a great skill on its own, but it can even enhance your existing skills such as writing or marketing. In this article, we’ll explore why learning to code is so important and how it can help you future-proof your career with practical advice that will further your learning.

Why You Should Learn Coding

Firstly, let’s consider the job market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and information technology jobs are projected to grow by 11% between 2019 and 2029, much faster than the average for all other occupations. 

This growth is expected to create tens of thousands of new jobs in the field, making it one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. By learning to code, you position yourself to take advantage of this growth, opening up a world of exciting career opportunities in technology.

Tech Takeover

Moreover, technology is rapidly transforming the way we work across all industries, from healthcare to finance to retail. As businesses become more reliant on technology to stay competitive, the demand for tech-savvy professionals who can develop, implement and maintain technology solutions is skyrocketing. 

By learning to code, you develop a growth mindset that allows you to stay current with the latest trends and technologies. This not only helps you stay relevant in the job market but also allows you to continually improve your coding skills and take on new challenges throughout your career.

Professional Growth

In addition to the job market benefits, learning to code can also enhance your problem-solving skills, creativity, and critical thinking abilities. Coding requires you to think logically, break down complex problems into manageable parts, and find creative solutions to technical challenges. 

These skills are transferable to many other areas of life and can be applied to problem-solving outside of coding. For example, problem-solving skills in coding are easily applicable to the logistical aspects of sales work. Finding the fastest and most cost-effective way to tackle a problem is something that coding instills in its pupils.

Fulfilling Career Path

Furthermore, coding is a skill that can be used to build and create, making it an incredibly fulfilling pursuit. The ability to build and bring ideas to life through coding is a powerful tool, allowing you to create software, websites, and apps that can further your financial future. By learning to code, you gain the ability to create things that matter and make a difference in people’s lives.

Not to mention, coders aren’t going to be hurting for opportunities for a long while. Even with the rise of AI,  there’s always going to be value in a human developer who is willing to work with a team. 

Your career path can help you build wealth, it can help you in the future in case you need to work on your credit score and take out a loan as employment history is one of the things lenders will review.

The Basics Of Learning How To Code

So, how can you start learning to code? There are many resources available online, including coding boot camps, online courses, and coding communities where you can connect with other developers and learn from their experiences. 

Pick And Stick To One Programming Language

There are many programming languages to choose from, such as Python, JavaScript, and Ruby on Rails that could be the foundations of your first project.

There are too many languages out there to list down, but what’s more important than your first language is sticking to that language for at least a year.

 Programming at its core involves using instructions to tell a computer what to do. You can’t learn the basics if you keep changing languages while learning. Most computer languages aren’t all that different, so it’s best to stick with a language you find relevant to your goals.

Practice Consistently

Practice, as always, makes perfect, and the same goes for programming. Start with simpler projects and gradually work your way to more meaty projects. There are many online resources available to help you learn to code, such as Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, and Udemy.

As far as scheduling goes, make sure to set aside a set amount of hours each week where you’re learning new things. Coding doesn’t have to be rushed, but you do need to be learning something every week. Stagnancy is the enemy of progress, and to avoid that, make sure you always have time to practice coding.

Connect With The Community

Programming is often a collaborative effort, and working with others can help you learn faster and get feedback on your code. Join online communities, attend meetups, and contribute to open-source projects to expand your knowledge.

The community is also a great avenue to vent your frustrations and worries. All these developers have had their own wellness issues. They can help you work your way through the tougher parts of coding in ways that are relatable to you. 

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Tips

Working in corporate to founding a developer first company

Working in corporate

Last month I got a chance to sit and talk with Darshan Shivashankar, founder and CEO of APIWiz on our brand new podcast. We two have collaborated in the past on API lifecycle management workshop and Darshan being a technical founder, whenever we talk our conversations tend to go in all places technical. So catch up on everything we discussed in this 50 minutes episode but here’s a quick summary or gist if you will for someone who needs more buy in before lending the episode their ears.

Darshan has 15+ years of experience in industry building technical solutions especially when it comes to designing API programs for companies looking for Digital transformation. In the past Darshan has worked with various industries from telecom to healthcare, FinTech to Neo banks. Though now a founder of developer first company, Darshan shared he never envisioned or planned his career to follow a fixed trajectory. Opportunities started coming in as he worked on more advanced projects and with right problem solving mindset and experience, he was acing the digital transformation process of the industries he worked in, sometimes leading and even starting their API first journey. 

Darshan figured out the technical debt associated with APIs journey of organisations wherein teams work in Silos, leading to a lack in collaboration, reliability and consistency in governance. If you’ve worked in APIs development for a big project or digital transformation mission, then you could easily relate to it. This is where Darshan felt a need for a solution that could help in API lifecycle management. After validating this idea within his network he realised that indeed there is a requirement for such a solution but not an immediate urgency to have that in place. This gave Darshan and team the opportunity to bootstrap their journey building APIWiz, focusing on addressing Developer centric problems.

I asked Darshan if he’s still involved in the development of the product and he mentioned he was actually writing code till very recently but now he’s more involved in hiring, planning and giving direction to the product, though he still knows the codebase in and out and is always ready to pull up his sleeve and get down to programming and tracking bugs whenever required, which for me was really inspiring to listen. The team at APIWiz is now scaled up after they raised funds from their investors and that’s where Darshan focused on hiring the candidate with right vision and mindset, as he believes tools and skills can be learned at job but problem solving attitude can’t be taught. Darshan also mentioned motivating team members to fill the job roles needed within the organisation enabling them to explore more arenas to work and fit in. 

I also asked Darshan where he sees industry heading and things he’s most excited about but I’m gonna tease, as he really has a deep and interesting perspective on this one which I feel you should listen straight from the Podcast to better understand it. 

P.S : eBPF and Raspberry Pis were mentioned 😛

Darshan also shared the struggles associated with starting a company from scratch, the role of support from family members, friends and people within your network and great tips for anyone just starting out fresh in tech and wanna make big, making this one of my favourite episodes.

If you listen to it don’t forget to share it with your friends who might learn a thing or two from this podcast. As always I’m always looking forward to your feedback to make this podcast better and if you have any guest suggestions feel free to share it via the comment section below.

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Community Tips

Protecting APIs by Merging Tools and Security Best Practices

protecting APIs

Rapid uptake in adoption by industries ranging from banking to retail to autonomous vehicles of customer- and partner-facing and internal application programming interfaces (APIs) to drive internet traffic has resulted in an equally rapid growth in endpoint attacks – more than 11 billion over just 18 months according to a report from edge computing security leader Akamai. It makes sense that they are more vulnerable to threats from malicious actors, given API endpoints’ similarity to internet-facing web servers, and their role as pipelines between divergent platforms.

For DevSecOps teams, protecting APIs is a top priority; they are vital to mobile, SaaS, and web applications and paramount to a healthy software development lifecycle. API security is also a natural extension of DevSecOps’ push to break down silos between development, security, and operations and move toward automation and design that integrates security as a shared responsibility. 

Thus, it is time to view API security not as an external bottleneck, but as a part of a stable long-term strategy. This can be achieved by altering company attitudes and investing in API tools that facilitate testing, enforce governance standards, and automate recurring security tasks.

Adopt an API-as-a-Product Strategy

A primary reason digital transformation efforts have failed for many brands is because they do not see APIs adding value. As such, they’ve lost track of the potential return on investment (ROI) APIs can deliver. When APIs are not viewed as assets or value-generating, they aren’t subject to the appropriate level of protection or security performance oversight. In fact, Akamai’s report highlighted the fact that many enterprises relegate API security checks to the end of the lifecycle and rely on traditional network security solutions which aren’t designed to protect against the attacks to which APIs are subject.

This is starting to change, however, as API-as-a-Product strategies gain traction within the developer community. There is a notable shift away from delivering project features based on budgets and deadlines to holistically examining APIs as products and assessing their capabilities. Further, as the concept of monetizing APIs gains prominence, their protection becomes a higher priority at the outset, with organizations more inclined to adopt a human-centered design approach. 

What this means is moving API regression tests to the forefront rather than treating them as an afterthought. It means adopting a design-first approach – wherein everyone on the team speaks the same language and every tool is able to leverage the same design – from the outset with the help of an API management platform. This will also help ensure that APIs are built on established authentication and authorization mechanisms such OAuth 2.0, which is the industry-standard protocol for authorization, and OpenID Connect.

API testing tools are critical for protecting something upon which most services in use daily rely. These tools let developers see if an API is reacting adequately to unexpected inputs or possible security attacks. They show immediately if an application is running with optimized functionality, reliability, and security.

Whether it is running user authentication, parameter tampering, unhandled HTTP, or fuzz testing, it is imperative to test an API contract to ensure that services can communicate and that the data they share is consistent with a specified set of rules or standards. Further, there are many solutions in the API testing market, including cross-cloud API testing software, software that supports asynchronous testing and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) integrations, and end-to-end testing – as well as solutions that support various formats eliminating the need for developers to learn new languages. 

Continuous testing is essential across the DevSecOps pipeline, as is robust test coverage based on API contracts that have been designed and approved. Plus, by chaining together complex API transactions and workflows, cases can be tested on-demand using continuous delivery or CI/CD to reduce downtime. 

Security in 360-degree Lifecycle Management

While API security considerations have typically been an afterthought to ever-increasing business demands, the reality is that no enterprise can afford for software security checks to be the last stage of an API lifecycle. Rather, security must be part of a 360-degree API lifecycle management strategy. It should be incorporated into every level, from planning and design to developing, testing, and release management – all the way out to deprecation.

Developers must also have oversight throughout the entire API lifecycle – which is where an API management platform comes into play. A dedicated platform can provide workflow visualizers that show an API’s complete lifecycle in a single view with issue alerts, which helps accelerate production using CI/CD in the DevSecOps pipeline to build trusted artifacts and more rapid iterations, thereby guaranteeing a security-first mindset. 

API tools also allow perimeter scans, which enable the discovery and inventory of APIs and allow for easy breakdowns for DevSecOps teams to work with. The best platforms will leverage a command line interface (CLI) – a unified tool for managing and controlling multiple services from the command line or with automation through scripts – to make APIs more easily discoverable. The team can easily determine where and how many APIs are deployed; a level of visibility that is mandatory for enterprises. 

Tools for Success

In short, an API team is only as successful as the set of tools at its disposal.

API security best practices are no mystery to seasoned security professionals – and they start with establishing solid API security policies through an API management platform. 

Finally, a collaborative approach to API governance – in line with the DevSecOps mission to eliminate siloes – is imperative for any organization’s security. 

About APIWizAPIwiz is a low-code, API automation platform allowing developers to build and release reliable APIs quickly. With APIwiz, API teams have complete control, visibility, and predictability over their entire API program, allowing organizations to stay open and connected.

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Community Tips

Ruby on Rails vs .Net Core: Detailed Comparison

Many web development frameworks out there in the market are claimed to be the best and most reliable for your project. But what is the reality? Are they even as qualified as hyped? 

Today in this article, we are going to discuss two such best frameworks Ruby on Rails and .NET Core. Because of these frameworks’ unique capabilities and the wide range of benefits they offer, RoR developers and top .NET development companies are always in demand among modern businesses. 

What makes these frameworks so powerful and reliable? Which one of them is more suitable for your web development project? Well, let’s find the answers by discussing what these frameworks are and what are their pros and cons. 

Ruby on Rails 

Ruby on Rails follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern, which separates an application into three main components: the model, which represents the data and business logic; the view, which handles the presentation of the data; and the controller, which serves as an intermediary between the model and view, processing user requests and handling the flow of data.

Ruby on Rails emphasizes convention over configuration, which means that it provides a set of standard conventions and best practices for building web applications, allowing developers to quickly build applications without writing a lot of code from scratch. Rails also follow the Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) principle, which encourages developers to avoid duplicating code and to keep their codebase as concise as possible.

Ruby on Rails provides a wide range of built-in tools and libraries for tasks such as database management, testing, and security, making it a popular choice for building web applications. It is also known for its strong community support, with many open-source libraries and resources available for developers to use.

Advantages of Ruby on Rails 

Here are some of the key advantages of using Ruby on Rails for web development:

  1. Rapid development: RoR follows the “convention over configuration” principle, which means that it provides a set of standard conventions and best practices that allow developers to quickly build web applications without writing a lot of code from scratch. 
  1. Productivity: RoR provides a rich set of built-in tools and libraries that allow developers to focus on building their applications, rather than worrying about low-level implementation details. 
  1. Scalability: RoR is designed to be scalable, allowing developers to build applications that can handle a large number of users and traffic. RoR also provides built-in support for caching, which can help improve application performance and scalability.
  1. Flexibility: Ruby on Rails also supports a wide range of databases and platforms, allowing developers to choose the technologies that best suit their needs. This makes it one of the most flexible development frameworks available in the market. 
  1. Community support: RoR web development framework is supported by a large community of developers who continuously keep contributing to the framework by building new open-source tools and libraries. This community support can be invaluable for developers who need help or guidance on specific aspects of their development projects.

Limitations of Ruby on Rails 

While Ruby on Rails offers many advantages for web development, there are also some limitations to consider. Here are some of the key limitations of using Rails for web development:

  1. Learning curve: Although Ruby on Rails is designed to be developer-friendly, it can still have a steep learning curve for beginners. RoR has its own set of conventions and patterns that can take some time to understand and master.
  1. Performance: While RoR is designed to be scalable, its performance can be slower compared to some other web frameworks. This can be a concern for applications that require high performance, such as those with large numbers of concurrent users or high volumes of data.
  1. Resource-intensive: RoR can be resource-intensive, especially in terms of memory usage. This means that web applications built with Ruby on Rails may require more server resources than those built with other web frameworks.
  1. Updates and compatibility issues: Since RoR is an open-source framework, updates, and compatibility issues can arise. Developers need to stay up-to-date with the latest version of RoR and its dependencies to avoid compatibility issues and potential security vulnerabilities.
  1. Not suitable for all projects: While RoR is a flexible framework, it may not be suitable for all types of projects. For example, projects that require low-level control over hardware or operating systems may require a more specialized framework.

.NET Core 

.NET Core is a free, open-source, cross-platform, modular, and high-performance framework for building modern, cloud-based applications. It is developed by Microsoft and is designed to be a modern and flexible successor to the .NET Framework.

.NET Core supports multiple programming languages, including C#, F#, and Visual Basic, and can be used to build a range of applications, including web applications, microservices, desktop applications, and gaming applications.

.NET Core is designed to be modular, flexible, and lightweight, allowing developers to build applications that can run on a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. It provides a set of standard libraries and tools that developers can use to build web applications, desktop applications, mobile applications, and more.

.NET Core also includes ASP.NET Core, a web framework that allows developers to build web applications using .NET Core. ASP.NET Core provides a range of features for building web applications, including support for Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, Razor Pages, middleware, and more.

Advantages of .NET Core 

There are several advantages to using .NET Core for developing web and cloud-based applications. Here are some of the key advantages of .NET Core:

  1. Cross-platform compatibility: .NET Core is designed to be cross-platform, which means that it can run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. This makes it easy to build and deploy applications on a range of platforms.
  1. High performance: .NET Core is designed to be fast and efficient, with a focus on optimizing performance for web and cloud-based applications. This makes it a popular choice for applications that require high performance, such as those with large numbers of concurrent users or high volumes of data.
  1. Open-source: .NET Core is an open-source framework, which means that its source code is available to developers. This makes it easy to customize and extend the framework to meet specific application requirements.
  1. Modular design: .NET Core is designed to be modular, which means that it includes a range of lightweight and extensible components that can be used independently or together. This makes it easy to build and deploy applications that only require specific components.
  1. Cloud-ready: .NET Core is designed to be cloud-ready, with built-in support for cloud-based development and deployment, including support for Docker containers and Kubernetes.
  1. Developer-friendly: .NET Core provides a range of developer-friendly features and tools, including Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, and the .NET Core CLI, making it easy for developers to build and debug applications.
  1. Strong community support: .NET Core has a strong and active community of developers who contribute to the framework by creating open-source libraries, tools, and extensions. This can be helpful for developers who need guidance or help on specific aspects of their development projects.

Limitations of .NET Core

  1. Limited support for some Windows-specific features: While .NET Core is designed to be cross-platform, it does not support all of the features of the .NET framework like WF and WCF. 
  1. Limited backward compatibility: Applications developed using the previous versions of .NET may require significant changes to work with .NET Core.
  1. Smaller ecosystem: While .NET Core has a growing ecosystem of libraries, tools, and extensions, it is still smaller than the ecosystem around the full .NET Framework. This can make it harder to find specific tools or libraries for specific tasks.
  1. Learning curve: If you don’t know anything about the .NET framework then it will take some time and effort to get started with .NET Core. 
  1. Lack of stability: As .NET Core is still a relatively new technology, there may be some stability issues or bugs that have not yet been identified or addressed by the development team. This can make it harder to ensure that your applications are stable and reliable.

Final words 

Both Ruby on Rails and .NET Core are powerful frameworks for developing web applications, but they have different strengths and weaknesses depending on the specific needs of your project. 

If you are looking for a framework that is designed to be highly performant, scalable, and cross-platform, .NET Core may be the better choice. If you are looking for a framework that is easy to learn and has a strong community, Ruby on Rails may be the better choice.

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Taking a Proactive, Governance-Based Approach to API Security

Security breaches are among the greatest threats confronting enterprises today, and application programming interface (API) abuse is typically central to the attacks. For that reason, API governance is critical to the success of any digital business.

Ensuring that governance results in a long-term stabilizing strategy requires following strategic API security, monitoring, and open cultural practices.

Common Errors

Just knowing when something is not right with a system or that a bug requires fixing isn’t enough knowledge to make informed decisions about security. What is required is a keen understanding of the health of a specific project throughout its entire life cycle. This includes knowing its current state, having proper visibility into the traffic running through apps and infrastructure, and recognizing error patterns – and being able to act upon any issues before they impact the customer experience.

When it comes to APIs Lifecycle and management, we’ve discussed it in great detail in this workshop recording that can be found here.

Watch here

The problem with most enterprises in this regard is that they tend to be project- instead of product-driven; budgets and deadlines are tied to delivering features rather than holistically examining a product and its capabilities. This, coupled with the failure to see APIs as adding value, are why many brands have failed in their API journeys and digital transformation. They’ve simply lost sight of the return on investment (ROI) properly governed APIs can deliver.

As a result, these enterprises leave API security to the end of its life cycle when regression tests are run to determine whether it is working properly, declaring it “secure” if it passes a confined set of tests. It is a last-mile mindset that is behind the daily reports of personal healthcare data, payment information, and billing address breaches – and why API security must be everyone’s responsibility at every stage of the life cycle and built into the product design itself. 

Governance can work only when API security is considered at the outset and supported with the proper tools to ensure the team is prepared to stave off attacks from every angle.

Creating a Governance Mindset

The first step toward effective API governance is to create an organization-wide mindset rather than having it rest solely with those who develop processes. Governance must go beyond ensuring that a specific set of projects functions in a certain way and adds value. Transformational success requires continuous feedback that bridges the gap between the consumer and provider.

Adopting a dedicated API management platform to automate API security best practices throughout the API life cycle is a smart way to automate many aspects of governance. Doing so provides a top-down approach that leverages a powerful security toolkit and knows what questions to ask and when. 

Among the questions required for governance in the API are:

  • Why do I need this API?
  • Who are my API’s consumers?
  • What are consumer’s usage patterns?
  • Do they need this API?
  • What is the behavioral design for this API?
  • What is my ROI?
  • Does this API add value to my consumers?
  • How is this API being integrated with my partners?
  • Which devices are calling this API
  • What barriers are there for people to access this API?
  • How could my APIs be compromised?
  • What is being cached on local browsers?
  • How many retries are permitted when trying to access your API?

When and How to Pose Questions

When a company is scaling, taking a manual approach to continually asking and answering these critical questions becomes far too error-prone to be effective. It becomes too easy to lose track of data and too tempting to cut corners to meet deadlines. Thus, API security needs to be built into API modeling – in both test-driven design and communications with every aspect of the business.

For example, information must be continuously evaluated to determine if it is sensitive, as API governance has different security policies for internal APIs, external APIs, open-source APIs, and partner APIs.

Leaving monitoring of sensitive information in the hands of API analysts, who are tasked with building an API specification under OpenAPI, is a mistake as their focus is solely on the user interface (UI), necessary data models, and consumer demands. Too often this dedicated focus causes them to overlook essential vulnerabilities, resulting in sensitive data being built into API headers and query patterns.

Rather, everyone should be responsible for asking if a user ID is needed as part of the API and, if so, if it should be part of an encrypted payload. The API and the user ID passing through it should be considered part of the query parameter pass-through browsers with sufficient caches and cookies. 

Finally, where requests are coming from must be understood. APIs need to be designed based on the systems and devices they with integrate with as they are a growing threat from hacks – putting sensitive information at risk.

Arming a “Security First” Culture

To create a “security first” culture, proactive companies adopt self-learning systems as part of their API security toolkit that leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to gather information about plan behaviors. These solutions reveal patterns and trigger appropriate actions, for example shutting down vulnerable systems before the clients risk them.

Because a team is only as successful as the tools at its disposal, every API security toolkit should include the following:

  • AI-powered API security, which self learns and self creates rules to recognize and proactively respond to attacks.
  • Straight sets of issue alerts to inform the right people as things go awry.
  • Dashboards, which enable teams to see patterns that contribute to a security-first mindset.
  • Data governance, to ensure data is being securely exchanged and being exposed only in ways that align with security policies.
  • API gateways, which are vital to API orchestration and integration.
  • Firewalls, to protect against threats like SQL injection attacks.

Security must be incorporated into a 360-degree view of the API life cycle from the outset and run through planning, designing, developing, testing, and release management. New threats emerge every day, so it’s imperative that learning be continuous.

Security must also be part of the user story and not just a box to check off in the release plan. As tooling – which should be accessible to everyone within the organization – is used to recognize user patterns, it contributes to that user story and develops a sequence of use cases from API keys to tokens to audit logs and more. This does more than give an enterprise empathy with its users; it provides valuable insight into potential system risks.

Retroactive Governance Repairs

For those organizations that did not build security into the API life cycle from the outset, it is not too late to revisit and rectify the situation. 

One common challenge for these organizations is when the CIO or other key players don’t realize an API exists until it’s already been hacked. This can be overcome with use of proper enterprise-grade API tooling that provides a complete overview of connecting APIs and the resources and information they expose. Tooling can also enable continuous API discovery, so while developers are given DevOps autonomy, others are still aware of every open-source or subscription API to which they connect.

It is also critical for these APIs to be monitored, which is where self-learning security systems play an important role. These powerful solutions detect current anomalies and feed this intelligence back into the system’s coverage and into the company’s new “security first” culture – saving it from public humiliation down the road. 

Getting Proactive with API Security

Enterprises caught up in data leaks tend to be reactive when it comes to API security. As such, they don’t have in place the right systems between consumer and provider. It’s a recipe for certain disaster that leaves the organization searching for the source of the service denial attack and creates distrust among consumers who will think twice about sharing their personal information.

Success requires a proactive approach, one that integrates security into governance at every stage of the agile process. This enables the continuous learning mindset around API security that is the only way to succeed. 

About APIWiz: APIwiz is a low-code, API automation platform allowing developers to build and release reliable APIs quickly. With APIwiz, API teams have complete control, visibility, and predictability over their entire API program, allowing organizations to stay open and connected.